How to sell yourself

by Ray Grose

Everyone working in an organization has seen unworthy executives advance up the corporate ladder while more competent candidates are overlooked. Why does this seemingly unfair situation occur over and over again? It is because many dedicated and competent executives concentrate on doing their jobs to the very best of their ability but fail to promote themselves as valuable organizational members. In particular they pay little attention to a fundamentally important factor in organizational success: their personal 'image' - the impression of them that other people hold, made up from thousands of interpersonal interactions. How to Sell Yourself gives guidelines on developing and managing one's personal image. It illustrates how the 'correct' image is rarely just a projection of one's personality, but is more often purposefully designed, manufactured, and adapted to one's position and to the culture of one's organization.